Press.



' N. 729,723.' l PATBNTBD JU1-IE2,1903.`

' K. s. BLANCHARD.

PRESS,

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 28,. 1902. N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1'.

QTTORNEYS PATBNTBD JUNE 2, 1903;(

KL S. BLANCHARD.

` PRESS. APPLIQATION FILED MY 28, 1902.

3 SHEBTS-SHBT 3.

VNd MODEL.

Nonsense. V -l elimine STATESv `Patented June 2, 1903.

PATENT @Eric-E.

KIRK siBLANciIARD, oijsYRAcUsn, NEW YORK.

Passe.

Application filed May 28, 1902.

Serial No. 109.259. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom, it myconcerm Beit known that I, KIRKS. BLANCHARD, ofSyracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the State of NewYrk,haveinvented new and useful Improvements in 4]t"resses,.o f .which thefollowing, taken in connection with the'ac companying drawings, isafull, clear, and exact description,

This invention relates to improvements in presses of the class set forthin my former application, Serial No. 94,668, tiled February 18,1902,except that my present device is arranged in an upright position.

One of the primary objects dilering from the purposes of my formerapplication above referred to is to provide an intermittentlymovablebedv upon which the material is com; pressed and successively removedfrom beneath the compression mechanism after each successiveoperatiom'the movable bed and the compression mechanism beingsynchronized to effect this intermittent and successive movement from aprimary moving power. l

y Another object is to provide means for rel; y moving the adheringmaterial from the mov.; able bed after having discharged the`comj`pressed material. i;

A further object is to feed the material by gravity to the movable bedand to provide the receptacle for the material to be compressed withsuitable inlet and ldischarge.openingsV and with' closures for saidopenings connected to the primary moving power in such manner as to openand close automatically at regular predetermined intervals for purposeshereinafter described, and a further object is to provide means wherebybodies of unequal compressibility may be subjected to a uniform pressurefor producing cakes or compact bodies of substantially uniform density,but of varying thicknesses, especially where the materials to be pressedare of varying densities in their initial state, this compression beingeffected by positive means without liability of impairing the utilityorintegrity of the machine. i

To this end the invention consists in the combination, construction, andarrangement of the parts of a press, as hereinafter fully described, andpointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly brokenaway, of an upright,V

" the inlet-gate.

described..

Apress embodying the various features of my invention. Fig. 2` is afront elevation, partly in section and partly broken away, of the deviceseeninlig.` l. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views taken,V respectively,ou lines 3 3 Fig. 4 is arface View of the cylinder and compression-box,showing particularly the means for raising and lowering Fig. 5 is adetail view of the means for agitating portions ot` the carrierbelt, andFig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the detached links for carryingthe slats or bed-pieces.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts in all theviews.

VIn thepdrawings I have shown an upright frame 1, upon which is mountedan upright .receptacle 2 for receiving the material to be compressed,horizontally-moving endless bed W3, forming the bottom wall of thereceptacle,

an upright cylinder 4, verticallymovable pistous 5 and 6, anda body ofliquid 7 withinA the cylinder 4, a compressor-head 8, connected to oneofthe pistons, as' thelower piston 6, and forming the upper wall of therecep; tacle 2, and suitable power transmitting mechanism connected to aprimary mover 9 `for transmitting motion to the endlessbed 3, pistons 5and 6, and various other moving parts of the machine, hereinafter morefully -The frame 1 may be of any desired size, form, orconstructionadapted for the purposes for which my press is used, and consists, essentially, of upright front and rear standards lO and 1l andintermediate bars 12, said standards and bars being suitably united toeach other by cross-bars 12. The receptacle 2 mayalso be of any desiredform, size, or construction, dependingupon the quantityand form of thematerial to be compressed,

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pressed automatically, I provide a chute or a hopper 16, having aninclined bottom wall discharging through the inlet-opening of thereceptacle onto the movable bed 3 when the gate 14 is open.

The movable bed 3 preferably consists of an endless belt mounted upondrums orsprocketwheels 17, which are journaled upon the frame in a planebeneath the lower end of the receptacle 2, the upper section of the beltforming the movable bed or bottom wall for the receptacle. This belt ispreferably made up of a series of transverse slats or bars arranged inproximity to each other and secured to special forms of links havingannular anges 19 and 20, the flanges 19 receiving and supporting theseveral slats of the belt, and the flanges 2O travel in close proximityto the inner faces of the lower edges ot' the lengthwise walls of thereceptacle.

Any form of link assembledin the form of an endless chain may beemployed for supporting the slats, providing said links are formed Withthe flanges 2O or equivalent means for preventing the leakage orexpression of the material at the endsof the slats,l

or rather at the longitudinal edges of the portions of the belt whichare registered with the receptacle during the act of compression of thematerial.

I preferably employ two chain belts, one at each of the longitudinaledges of the receptacle, for supporting the opposite ends of the slatsor endless bed proper, and in order to relieve the strain upon the chainbelts and slats of the endless head I provide a transverse wall 2lbeneath the lower end of the receptacle and immediately under the uppersection of the belt, said wall forming a supplemental bottom of thereceptacle and serves to hold the endless bed in position against theaction of the compressor mechanism presently described.

The endless belt is connected to a suitable prime moving power to movein the direction indicated by the arrow Qc, Fig. 2-that is, from theclosed side of the receptacle opposite the outlet-opening toward saidoutlet-openingfor the purpose of conveying the compressed material fromthe receptacle after each successive movement of the compressingmechanism, the gate or closure 15 being open during the movement of thebed. In order to maintain the belt in a substantial taut position, Iusually mount one of the drums upon a moving bearing, as 23, (seen atthe left hand at Fig. 2,) said bearing being normally forced outwardlyfor tensioning the belt by a spring 24.

The cylinder 4 and pistons 5 and (3 and also the liquid body 7 are verysimilar to the corresponding parts of the former application referredto, and it will therefore be unnecessary to enter into a detaildescription, it being sufficient to say that the pistons 5 and 6 aremovable independently of each other and that the body'of the liquidserves as a means 'faenas for transmitting motion during the act ofcontipression from the piston 5 to the piston 6 and thence to themovable wall 8.

The movement of the piston 5 is positivo and is required to move acertain distance at each operation, while the movement of the piston 6is variable, and in order to relieve any excessive pressure between thetwo pistons beyond the predetermined degree I provide a conduit 25,leading from the liquidchamber of the cylinder, and also provide areservoir 26, connected to said conduit, for receiving the liquid, andthereby relieving such excessive pressure ofthe piston 5, this portionof my device being also similar to that set forth in my formerapplication, and it is therefore thought to be unnecessary 'to furtherillustrate or describe the same.

The means for moving the piston 5 to its operative position in the actof compressing the material consists, primarily, of a cam 27 and arock-arm 2S, having a rolling engagement with each other, the cam 27being actuated by a train of gearing 29, driven from the prime mover 9,and the rock-arm 28 is normally held in engagement with a stop-face 30by means of a weighted arm 31, provided on said rock-arm. v.

The means for returning the pistons and rock-arm to their normal orstarting position after each compression consists of a weight 32 and alink 33, the weight 32 being connected by a cable 34 to an arm 35 on thepiston 5, and the link 32 is connected at one end to the head S, itsother end beingloosely connected to the arm 35 in such manner that thepiston 5 may move inwardly independent of the head 8; but when thepiston 5 is withdrawn a certain distance by weight 32 and cord 34similar movement is imparted by the link 33 to the head S, so that bothpistons move simultaneously for the greater part of their distance tothe starting position.

It is necessary in this class of machines to operate all of themovingparts automatically, and it therefore becomes necessary tosynchronize the movement of the said parts one with the otherthat is,during each successive compression or operation of the pistons theendless bed is at rest, and immediately upon the return of the pistonsto the starting position the endless bed is caused to move a sufficientdistance to carry the compressed material outwardly beyond theoutlet-opening. .lust previous to or substantially coincident with thereturn movement of the pistons and just before the movementof theendless bed in the act of discharging the compressed material the gate15 is open, it being understood that this gate is closed during theoperation of compressing the material. In order to effect the upwardmovement ot the pistons to the endless bed and gate l5, I provide one ofthe gears of the train, as the larger gear, which may be designated bythe numeral 35', with a cam 36, which during the revolution of the gear35 in the direction of llO ' the arrow @l operates a plunger-rod 37,which in turn rocks a lever 38 and elevates the C'ate V15. The cam 27 isalso secured to the shaft of the gear 35', and these two cams are sotimed that immediately upon the release or disengagement of the cam 27with the bearing-face of the arm 28 the advancing face of the cam 36engages the roller end of the plunger-rod 37 and immediately elevatesthe gate 15, thus opening the outlet for the free discharge of thecompressed material.

The means for moving the endless bed immediately after the elevation ofthe gate 15 is here shown as consisting of a gear 38', a clutch 39, andau operating-lever 40, the gear 38 being loose upon ashaft or spindle41, driven from the shaft of the prime mover` 9 by a sprocket-chain42,and the clutch 39 being secured to the shaft to rotate therewith, and itis thus apparent that the shaft 41 is always rotating and that the gear38', being loose on the shaft, is idle except when engaged by the clutch39. This clutch is operated' automatically by means of the lever 40 andthe rock-arm 38, said lever 40 having an extension projecting into thepath of the upwardly-moving end of the rock-arm' 38 as the gate 15 iselevated. It will thus be seen that the rock-arm 38, elevating the gate`15, also operates the lever 40 to engage the clutch 39 with the gear 38,thereby revolving said gear 38' and the endless bed 3, which isconnected to said gear by another gear 44 on the shaft of the drum 17.

Immediately after. the discharge of the compressed material from thereceptacle 1 by ginning of the operation of compression. I-

therefore provide the gear 35 with an additional cam 43, which isconnected to open the gate 14 im mediatelyiafter the gate 15i`s closedand to again close the gate just before the initial movement of thepistons 5 and (l. It will be apparent from the foregoing description andthe accompanying drawings .that these several cams 27, 36,-and 43control the operation of the pistons 5 and 6 and gates 14 and 15, aswell as the movable bed 3, and that although I have shown a.speciiic'mechanism for synchronizing these several Inovements it willbe evident that other mechanisms may be employed with equal efiiciency.

The means cooperating with the cam43 for opening and closingtheinlet-gate 14 preferably consists ot a vertically-reciprocating rod44 and a lever 45, having one endconnected After the operation ofcompressing the material upon the endless belt it is desirable toprovide some means for removing the material which may adhere to thelower face of the compressor-head, and I therefore provide said headwith a shaker-frame 49, similar to that set forth in my formerapplication `previously referred to, said shaker-frame being mountedupon reciprocatory rods 49', movable in `the head 8 against the actionof the springs 49. The means for reciprocating these rods .49" is hereshown as consisting of a rack and pinion, the shaft of the pinion beingprovided with rotary arms 49', which are alined with the upper ends ofthe rods 49" and successively engage the upper ends of said rods as thepinion is rotated along its rack by the vertical movement of the plungerG, as clearly shown in Fig. 3. It is evident, however, that `other meansmay be employed for reciprocating the shaker-frame 49, as I believe thispart of my invention to be entirely new.

In devices of this character portions of the material adhere to the beltor bed after the discharge of the bulk of the compressed body therefrom,and in order to remove this adher-` ing material I provide one or morebeaters 50 and 5l, the beater 50 consisting of abarmounted upon one endof the bell-crank 52,the other arm of said bell-crank being adapted totrail upon theflinks of one of the chains', and the beater 51 preferablyconsists of a brush, which is rotated against the surface of the lowersection of the bed by asuitable belt 54, connected to a sprocket-wheel55 on the shaft of the drum 17 at the discharge end of the endless bed.Owing to the fact that one ofthearms of the bell-crank` trails upon thechain, it is rocked by each cross-bar of the several links 'of the chainand causes the bar 50 to strike `and the advancing end of the cam 27 isjust on the point of engaging the connecting-rod 28. As the cam 27continues to move in rolling contact with the upper end face of the rod28 the piston 5 is thereby moved toward the upper portion of the endlessbed 3 and through the medium of the body of `liquid 7 produces a similarmovement upon the piston 6, which operation compresses the `material inthe receptacle 2 upon the adjacent portion of theuendless bed 3, which`duringthis IOO IIO

its movement it is automatically returned to its normal position by theweight 32 and cord 34 and simultaneously draws the piston 6 to itsnormal up position through the medium ofthe link 33. Immediately uponthe return of the piston 6 after each compression the gate isautomatically opened by the cam 36, rod 37, and lever 38, and as soon asthis `gate is sufficiently elevated the clutch 4l is operated by thelevers 38 and 40 to rotate the endless bed for the purpose of carryingthe compressed cake of material thereon through the outlet-opening ofthe receptacle 2 beyond the gate 15. As soon as this operation iscompleted the receptacle is free to receive additional material to becompressed, and the inlet-gate is immediately opened through the mediumof the cam 43, rod 44, and lever 45, and the material gravitates fromthe hopper 16 onto the portion of the bed 3 within the receptacle, itbeing understood that just before the opening of the inlet-gate 14 theoutlet-gate 15 closes, and the movement ofthe endless bed 3 ceases andis at rest during the feeding of the material to be pressed into thereceptacle 2. While the head 8 is being elevated after Y eachcompression the shakerframe 49 is agitated by the arms 49"', and whenthe compressed material is conveyed out of the receptacle by the bed 3the beaters 50 are actuated to loosen any of the material adhering tothe bed.

The operation of my invention will now be readily understood uponreference to the foregoing description and the accompanying d rawings.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. In a press, the combination of a receptacle for the material to becompressed, said receptacle having an inlet-opening in one of its sidesand an outlet-opening in one of its ends, a hopper discharging into theinletopening, closures movable alternately across said openings, onebeing open when the other is closed, separate devices for actuating saidclosures, a horizontally-moving bed beneath the receptacle, means toactuate the bed only when the outlet-gate is opened, a compressorheadmovable in the receptacle toward and from the bed, and means to actuatethe compressor-head.

2. In a press, the combination with a recep- The power applied to thehorizontally-movable bed beneath the receptacle, flanges projectingupwardly from the longitudinal edges of the bed and moving in closeproximity to the inner faces of the side walls of the receptacle toprevent leakage at the joints between the bed and said walls, acompressor-head movable in the receptacle toward and from the bed, meansfor moving the head toward the bed, and additional means for moving thebed intermittently.

3. In a press the combination with a receptacle having an inlet-openingin one side and an outlet-opening in one end, a hopper discharging intothe inlet-opening, verticallymovable gates for the inlet and outletopenings one of said gates being opened While the other is closed, arotary member and means coacting therewith to open and close the gates,an endless bed movable horizontally beneath the receptacle, flangesprojecting above the bed into the receptacle and traveling in closeproximity to the inner faces of the inlet-gate and the opposite sidewall of the receptacle, a compressor-head movable toward and from thebed, means for moving the head toward the bed, separate means for movingthe head from the bed, and additional means for moving the bedintermittently when the head is elevated. v

4. In a press, the combination with a receptacle for the material to becompressed, a horizontallymovable bed forming the bottom Wall of thereceptacle, a compressor-head movable toward and from the bed, and ashaker-frame between the head and bed.

5. In a press, the combination with a receptacle, a horizontally movableendless bed forming the bottom wall of the receptacle, a compressor-headmovable toward and from the bed, a shaker-frame suspended from the head,separate devices-for moving the head toward and from the bed, means formoving the bed intermittently, and additional means for actuating theshaker-frame as the head begins to move from the bed.

6. In a press, the combination with a horizontally-movable bed, anupright-cylinder, separate pistons movable in the cylinder, a liquidbody between the pistons, positive means for operating the upper piston,separate means to return said piston, and a pressure-regulator connectedto the cylinder for receiving portions of the liquid when the upperpiston is operated beyond a predetermined degree of pressure, saidregulator operating to return the liquid to the cylinder when thepressure upon the piston is reduced below said degree, and means to movethe bed laterally during the upstroke of the piston.

7. In a press, the combination with a horizontally-movable bed, of anupright cylinder, a compressor-head, a piston movable in the cylinderand operating to force the head toward the bed, a rotating cam, and anarm pivotally connected to the piston and having a rolling engagementwith the cam for depressing the piston, means to elevate the pis- ICOIIO

a compressor-head, a piston movable in the cylinder and operating toforce the head toward the bed, a rotatingcam, an arm pivotally connectedto the piston and having a rolling engagement with the cam fordepressing the piston, means for elevating the piston `and arm connectedthereto, means to move the bed laterally during the upstroke of thepiston, and a counterweight for rocking the piston in the directionopposite to that eifected by the cam. i

9. In a press, the combination with a horizontally-movable bed, a compresser-head movable toward and from the bed, and a shakerframe mountedon the head between the adjacent faces of the head and bed.

10. In a press, the combination with a horizontally-movable bed, areceptacle rising from the bed, a compressor-head movable in thereceptacle toward and from the bed, an upright cylinder, a pistonmovable in the cylinder and connected to the head, a second pistonmovable in the cylinder above the former piston, a body of liquidbetween the pistons, a conduit leading from the cylinder between thepistons, a pressure-regulator connected to said conduit for the purposedescribed, whereby the liquid may flow to and from the cylinder throughthe same conduit, a rotating cam, an arm pivotally connected to theupper-piston and having a rolling engagement with the cam for moving theupper piston downwardly, and means to return the piston andcompressor-bead to their normal upper positions, means to move the bedlaterally Y during the upstroke of the piston.

1l. In a press, the combination with a horizontally-movable endless bed,a receptacle rising from the bed, a compressor-head movable in thereceptacle toward and from the bed, means to actuate the head toward thebed, additional means to move the head upwardly, and a shaker-framesuspended from the head. c

l I2. In a press, the combination of a receptacle for the material to becompressed,a horizontally-movable endless bed, a compressorhead movablein the receptacle toward and from the bed, a shaker-frame suspended fromthe head, a beater operating against the bed,

13. In a press, the combination of a receptacle having an inlet-openingin one side and an outlet-openingin one end, a horizontallymovableendless bed forming the bottom of the receptacle, gates for saidopenings, separate devices for moving the head toward and from the bed,a shaker-frame suspended from the head in a plane parallel with the bedand means to actuate the shaker-frame as the head is elevated.

14. In a press the combination of an upright receptacle having its lowerand upper end open, an endless bed movable horizontally across the loweropening, averticallymovable head in the upper opening, an uprightcylinder located above the receptacle, lower and upper pistons in thecylinder, a body of liquid between the pistons, the lower piston beingconnected to the heada liquidreservoir connected to receive portions ofthe liquid for the purpose set forth, a revolving cam and a rock-armhaving rolling engagement with each other, said rock-arm being Y turningthe pistons and rock-arm to their starting position, aprime mover andmechanism for operating the endless bed after each successive operationof thepiston.

15. In a press, a horizontally-movable endless bed, a vertically-movablecompressionhead, means to move the head and bed alternatel y andintermittently, ashaker-frame carried by the head and automatic means tooperate the shaker-frame for the purpose set forth.

16. A press comprising ahorizontally-movable bed, a compressor-chamberabove the bed, a compressor-head movable vertically in thecompression-chamber and provided with a shaker-frame, a prime moverconnected to actuate the bed and head alternately, automatic means forbeating the movable bed,and additional means for operating theshakerframe independently of the head.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of May,1902.

KIRK S. BLANCHARD.

Witnesses:

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